Machine and method for printing on confections



July 2, 1957 A. WENGER 2,797,637

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR PRINTING ON CONFECTIONS Filed Deo. 2o, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 l 7,2/ '94 /52 g' Clg4 July 2, 1957 A. WENGER 2,797,637

` MACHINE AND METHOD FOR PRINTING ON CONFECTIONS Filed Dec. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Unit@ 2,797,637 Patented July 2, 1957 MACHINE AND METHOD FOR PRINTING ON CONFECTIONS Abraham Wenger, Richmond, Va. Application December 20, 1955, Serial No. 554,307 Claims. (Cl. 1`01-126) This invention relates to a machine anda `method for printing on confections.

It is an object of this invention to provide a .device and a method particularly adapted for .directly printing pictures, designs, cartoons, greetings and the like, hereinafter calleddesigns, `on ice cream, -but .which is equally adapted for printing such matter on other food stuffs or confections, especially `those having a surface which is substantially plane, though precise planeness is not essential.

An additional object of this invention is` to provide a machine and a method for continuously printing directly on confections by means of a stencil in the form of a rotatable disc.

A further object of this invention is to providea ma chine of the type described `with a printing station and means to move objects to be imprinted linearly toward the printing station thence into contact with a horizontally rotating printing means while causing. the objects to travel in an arcuate path during the period of such contact.

A still `further object of this invention is to convey objects to be imprinted first in a rectilinear path adjacent a rotating disc type stencil then causing the objects to travel at the rotational speed of the designs on the stencil.

Still another object of this invention is the method of printing designs on confections wherein the confections are moved rst in a rectilinear path toward a printing station which is adjacent a disc type stencil having designs thereon and which is rotating in a closed path, bringing the confection and the design into contact with each other by changing the direction of travel of the confection and then moving the confection through a portion of the closed path while the contact is maintained.

Another important object of this. invention is a machine having a printing station, means for moving confections in a rectilinear path toward such station, means for moving a design in a closed path adjacent the printing station, means for moving the confection away from the normal path at the printing station into contact with the design and means at the printing station for moving the confection through a portion of the closed path during such contact with the design.

Another object of this invention is the provision in a machine of the type disclosed which has a rotating printing disc type stencil, a printing station and linearly moving conveying means for moving objects to be imprinted toward the printing station, of an upstanding type block means in the path of the conveying means at the printing station for moving the object into contact with the stencil so that the object will be imprinted and further causing an arcuate movement to be imparted to the objects to prevent smearing of the printed matter.

These and other objects will be apparent when reading the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings which form a peut thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating the essential features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the invention taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan View, partly in section, of the invention taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail of certain elements of the invention taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig, 7 is an exploded view of certain portions of the invention including the elements illustrated in Fig. 6.

' ln the several figures of the drawings, the same reference characters designate like parts throughout, and attention is directed to Fig. l, wherein there is illustrated a machine for carrying out my novel inventive concept and this machine comprises a frame or base 10 having side rails l2 and 14, cross members l5 and legs 16 which rest on a platform, oor shelf or other suitable support 18. Suitably mounted on the support 18 is an electric motor 20 having a pulley 22 connected by a belt 24 to a pulley 26 on an input shaft 28 of a speed-reducing gear means Sil. The gear means 3) is of conventional design and needs no further description herein. Output shaft 32 of the reduction gear meansY Si) has mounted thereon a sprocket 34 connected by a sprocket chain 36 to a sprocket 3S on a shaft 40 mounted in suitable bearing means 42 on one end of the frame 1i).

Sprockets 44 mounted on the shaft 4t) carry a pair of conveyor chains 4.6. which travel lengthwise of the frame 10 and pass over sprockets 48 on a shaft 50 mounted in suitable bearing means 52 at the other end of the frame 10. Suitably spaced along the conveyor chains 46 and carried thereby are flights 54 carrying trays 56, the specic arrangement of which to be described in detail hereinafter.

On the shaft 50 there is mounted a sprocket S8 connected by a sprocket chain 6,0 to a sprocket 62 on a shaft 63, having a bevel gear 64 thereon which meshes with a second bevel gear 66 on the lower end of a vertical shaft 6,8, rotatably mounted in suitable bearing means 70 on the frame 10.

At the upper end of the shaft 68 there is mounted a printing disc 72 which rotates therewith and which has a frame consisting of an outer ring 74, a hub 76 and spokes 78. A ring 80 having an upstanding flange 82 clamps a silk screen stencil S against the ring 74 of the printing disc 72. The stencil S has a plurality of designs 84 arranged thereon in the areas between the spokes 78, and the designs travel in a closed path with the disc 72.

An angle bar 86 having an arm 88 extending over the printing disc 72 suitably clamped to the frame 10 by clamping means 90. A plate 92 is suitably mounted on the arm 88 and has a flexible squeegee element 94 mounted thereon, which latter element is arranged to contact the stencil S to force printing material K, hereinafter called ink or edible ink, therethrough at the designs 84.

A printing station is defined on the frame it) by xedly mounting a block 96 adjacent the vertical shaft 68 and directly below the orbit of the design 84 carried by the printing disc 72. The block is preferably provided with a plurality of stub shafts 98 which carry anti-friction means such as sprockets itl!) which engage the conveyor chains 46. The shafts 98 are mounted on the block 96 by upstanding bearing means 102, and there are provided notches 104 in the forward and trailing ends of the block to accommodate the sprockets and to permit the chains 46 to ride on or closely adjacent the upper surface of the block 96, g A

Other upstanding means can effectively be used `to raise the conveyor chains from their normal path, such `as merely allowing the chains to travel over the smooth upper surface of the block 96. I

In Fig. 5, rivet members 166 are shown for attaching the flights 54 to the conveyor chains 46.

Since the flights 54 are identical and the trays 56 are also identical, only one of each will be described. Attention is directed to Figs. 3 and 7, wherein a tray S6 is illustrated as being pivotally mounted on a flight 54 by means of a pin 108 passing through an opening '119 Iin the tray rand an opening 112 in the flight and the pin 198 is re- Vtained inthe openings by a cotter pin 114.

In order to change the direction of movement of the confection from the linear motion pri-or to reaching the printing station to a movement in an arcuate path corresponding to the closed path of the design at the printing station, there is provided a guide pin 116 attached to and depending from the tray 56. A slot 118 is provided intermediate the ends of the guide pin 116 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The guide pin 116 passes through a transversely arcuate slot 120 in the flight 54 and carries an anti-friction means 122 on the lower end thereof. A spring 124 is mounted on a bracket 126 attached to the under side of the flight 54, .and extends through the slot 118 in the pin 116 to prevent unintentional pivoting of the tray 56 `and the return of the tray to the normal position after pivoting.

The tray 56 is provided with upstanding flanges 128 and 130 for guiding and retaining the material to be irnprinted, inthe desired position. By means of the sprockets 100 on the upper forward and trailing edges of the block 96, the conveyor chains 46 travel upwardly toward the rotating printing disc 72 thence parallel to the stencil S and thence downwardly away from the disc 72. This is done to elevate the confection toward the surface of the stencil so that a confection, such as the brick of ice cream 132 may contact the stencil at the printing station as the design 84 passes over the confection.

In a device of this nature it is obvious that the outer rim 74 of the disc 72 travels at a higher rotational speed than any point intermediate such rim and the hub 76. If we assume that the conveyor chains are set to travel at the linear speed which is substantially equal to the rotational speed of a point adjacent the hub 76, any point in the design 84 which is outwardly from the hub 76, will be moving rotationally faster than the confection or ice cream brick 132 carried in the tray 56, which will cause smearing and deformation of the design on the confection. To avoid this, a cam means comprising a longitudinally arcuate groove 134 which is substantially concentric with the closed path of the design 84 is provided in the block 96. The anti-friction means 122 engages the groove 134 to rotate the tray 56 about the pivot 108 causing the tray to move in substantially the same arcuate path as the design S4 at the printing station. After such movement, the tray is restored to normal positioned by means of the spring 124, as described above. This causes the confection or ice cream brick 132 to be substantially stationary relative to the stencil S while in contact with the design 84, and both moving in the same arcuate path.

The flights 54 are provided with down turned flanges 136 adapted to ride in grooves 138 to prevent lateral movement of the chains during the printing operation.

For operation, the stencil S is provided with a plurality of design 84, and a supply of edible ink K is placed on the upper surface thereof. The machine is started and the chains travel in the direction of the arrows A in Fig. 2 while the disc 72 rotates in the direction of the arrow B in Fig. l. Confections, such as ice cream bricks 132 are placed on the trays 56,. As the trays advance in a linear direction, longitudinally of the frame 10, the chains 46 travel over the sprockets 100 at the upper leading edge of the block 96, and the trays are elevated toward the stencil S. This movement brings the confection into contact with the design 84 on the stencil S at a point adjacent and below the squeegee 94. The ink is forced through the design 84 onto the confection 132, and the continued movement of the chains carries the confection downwardlyV and away from the stencil S. As the tray 56 passes over the block 96, the anti-friction means 122 on the pin 116 engages the groove 134 to'swing the tray 56, Vas described above, to cause the confection to move in substantially the path as the design on the stencil S.

The ink or material for delineating the designs may be any suitable product having suicient fluidity and rapid setting ability and must be edible.

While a specific example of my machine has been shown, it is to be understood that modifications may be made within the skill of the art and within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine 'for printing a design on a confection including a member having a design thereon which rotates about a substantially vertical axis, a printing station, and conveying means for moving a confection toward the printing station, the improvement comprising means for bringing a confection and a design into contact with each other by changing the direction of movement of the conveying means at the printing station and causing a confection to move in an arcuate path during such contact.

2. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim l wherein said means includes an upstanding element located in the path of the conveying means at the printing station.

3. The device in accordance with the structure set forth in claim l wherein said means includes a block at the printing station having portions thereof for bringmg a confection and design into said contact and other portions for moving a confection in said arcuate path.

4. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 3 wherein said rst mentioned portions include opstanding elements for lifting the conveying means from the normal path thereof.

5. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 3 wherein said other portions include cam means.

6. A machine for printing a design on a confection, comprising, in combination, a member having a design thereon which rotates about a substantially vertical axis, a printing station, conveying means for moving a confectlon toward the printing station, means for bringing a confection and a design into contact with each other at the printing station and means for causing a confection to travel in an arcuate path during such contact.

-7. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 6 wherein said flrst'mentioned means comprises a block located in the path of the conveying means at the printing station. i

8. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 7y wherein said second mentioned means comprises cam means on said block.

9. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 8 wherein the second mentioned means further includes cam means engaging elements carried by the conveying means.

l0. A method of continuously printing on confections comprising the steps of rotating designs in an orbit in a substantially horizontal plane and forcing edible ink therethrough, moving confections successively toward the rotating designs into successive contact with the designs, moving the confections in an arcuate path corresponding to ,the orbit of the designs while the confections are in E contact with the designs, and thereafter moving the confections away from the designs.

11. A machine for printing designs on confections, comprising, in combination, a member having a design thereon which rotates about a substantially vertical axis, a printing station, an endless band type conveying means for moving confections generally linearly toward the printing station, a block at the printing station for bringing a design and a confection into contact with each other, said block having anti-friction means thereon for moving the conveying means from the generally linear path causing said contact, and cam means for causing a confection to travel in an arcuate path corresponding to the rotation of the design during such contact.

12. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 11 wherein the cam means comprises a longitudinally extending arcuate groove in the upper surface of the block.

13. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 12 wherein the conveying means includes confection carrying trays pivotally mounted thereon, said trays having cam means engaging elements depending therefrom and positioned for engagement with said groove.

14. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 13 including resilient means on the conveying means engaging the depending cam engaging means to constantly urge the trays to a normal position.

15. A machine for printing designs on confections, comprising, in combination, a disc rotatable on a substantially vertical axis and including a stencil having a design thereon travelling in a closed path, a printing station, conveyor chains having ights thereon travelling normally in a generally linear path, confection carrying trays pivotally mounted on said ilights, means for moving the flights from the normally generally linear path to bring confections carried by the trays into contact with the design on the disc, and further causing pivotal movement of the trays into an arcuate path corresponding to the closed path of the design during such contact.

16. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 15'wherein said means is a block having a generally longitudinally extending arcuate groove therein for causing said pivotal movement of the trays.

17. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 16 wherein said trays have cam engaging means depending therefrom which engage said groove for facilitating said pivotal movement of the trays.

18. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 16 wherein the block is iixedly mounted at the printing station in the path of the conveyor chains with the upper surface of said block being above the normally generally linear path of the conveyor chains.

19. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 18 wherein upstanding anti-friction means are provided at the upper leading and trailing edges of the block for guiding the chains.

20. The device set forth in accordance with the structure of claim 19 wherein the anti-friction means comprises rotatable shafts having chain engaging sprockets thereon.

No references cited. 

